Chapter 60: The Dragon’s Fall

“Charge!”

“Understood.”

Thud!

The Dre Team charged.

The crafting team led.

Perhaps from hammering together, the four moved as one, advancing with shields raised.

The Mine Drake, spotting the wall-like advance—

ROAR!

Unleashed its breath.

Devoid of draconic intelligence, magic, or wings, it was a mere wyrm with a fearsome form.

But its breath’s heat was intense.

Searing the area in an instant.

I expected the shield wall to melt.

Clang!

Not so.

The shields held firm.

Their overwhelming fire resistance.

Instead of retreating, the shield wall stepped forward.

Meanwhile—

Dash!

From behind the shields, out of the breath’s obscured view, the mining team sprang.

The drake, quick to react, stopped its breath and swung its claws.

Whoosh!

Pippi 1 dodged with signature agility.

Seizing the moment, the other three miners swung their pickaxe, axe, and sword.

Crack!

The drake’s scales were tough.

Even degraded, its draconic lineage held.

Yet—

GROAR!

It was pierced.

Not just due to the weapons’ high attack or Dragon Slayer bonus damage.

Precise targeting.

From mining and crushing golems, they’d mastered hitting weak points.

The four struck precisely between scales.

Combined with strong weapons and Dragon Slayer bonuses, they dealt real damage.

“Nice work, team!”

A great start.

The drake thrashed in pain, swinging claws wildly.

Clang!

The crafting team deftly blocked.

The shields didn’t break under the sharp claws.

They didn’t budge under the immense force.

Thanks to the shields’ knockback reduction.

Crack! Crack!

Meanwhile, the mining team targeted gaps relentlessly.

The drake thrashed harder in frustration.

I wasn’t idle.

“Time to shoot?”

The crossbow crafted for the drake.

A true Dragon Slayer for anti-dragon sniping.

Unlike the assistants’ enhanced weapons, it was built as a Dragon Slayer from the start.

[Dragon Blinder]

Type: Crossbow

Grade: SS

Restriction: Level 50+

Description: Crafted by Hephaestus’ heir to slay dragons.

Attack: 400

Abilities:

1. Blind – Briefly blinds draconic monsters on hit.
2. Dragonbane – Deals bonus damage to draconic monsters.
3. Pupil Tracker – Improves accuracy by targeting draconic monsters’ eyes.

Dragon Blinder.

Roughly, “the one who steals dragon sight.”

All abilities activated only against draconic monsters—a true Dragon Slayer.

Plus—

[Dragon Tracker]

The bolts, crafted as Dragon Slayers.

Tips made from wyvern teeth, shafts from draconic serpent bones, fletching from winged dragon feathers.

Made from dragon materials, they had high base attack, all abilities focused on bonus draconic damage.

Twang!

The bolt flew.

Korea’s military training paid off—it aimed true.

The drake’s frenzy made a critical hit tough, but—

Thwack!

The bolt swerved at the last moment, hitting the drake’s cheek.

Likely the Pupil Tracker aiming for the eye but landing nearby.

Not the pupil, but—

GROAR!

It dealt stinging damage.

Plus, a brief blind status.

The Dre Team’s attacks poured onto the blinded, thrashing drake.

“Great! Keep it up!”

I worried about facing a drake, but they fought better than expected.

I’d made plenty of blind bolts, so I fired freely.

Each hit blinded the drake briefly.

Each blind moment let the attack team land blows.

When the drake struck, the shield team blocked.

Their teamwork, honed over time, was flawless.

GROAR!

Was it humiliated?

The furious drake roared.

Not just any roar.

Dragon Fear.

The supreme species’ roar, instilling instinctual fear in weaker beings.

My assistants weren’t alive, but the roar’s power stiffened them briefly.

In that moment—

GROAR!

Look at that!

The drake locked eyes with me, inhaling deeply.

Flames gathered in its maw.

Obvious.

It was preparing a breath attack.

I’d underestimated its low intelligence, but it instinctively sensed my threat.

ROAR!

The breath erupted.

The shield team, stiffened by Dragon Fear, couldn’t block.

As the breath neared, I dove out of the corner in panic.

But its power was so great, it engulfed the area and surged toward me.

“Spark!”

Whoosh!

Spark, on my shoulder, unleashed a fire stream at the breath.

It looked feeble, but—

ROAR!

Spark’s flame blocked the dragon breath.

Spark’s ability to protect Hephaestus’ heir with fire.

This was why it could support me from range.

Spark’s power could block a breath once.

“Ugh!”

The clashing flames canceled out.

I nearly fled, but I couldn’t waste this chance.

After such a breath, the drake would be vulnerable.

Gritting my teeth against the heat, I rounded the corner.

As expected.

The drake, catching its breath post-attack.

I fired a bolt.

Twang!

Despite my rushed aim, the bolt flew true, curving via Pupil Tracker—

Thwack!

GROAR!

It hit the drake’s right pupil.

Blinding it, the Dragon Slayer bolt lodged deep, fully blinding the right eye.

Meanwhile—

Crack! Thud!

The attack team seized the moment, swinging relentlessly.

Scales fell.

Flesh tore.

Blood sprayed.

Then, I spotted something.

“Reverse scale!”

The reverse scale.

The dragon’s sole weak point.

Spotting it, I shouted to the nearest assistant.

“Pippi 1! Stab the reverse scale!”

“Understood.”

Dash!

Pippi 1 charged the scale I pointed to.

The drake, sensing danger, swung its claws wildly.

Clang!

The shield team blocked.

Thud!

The mining team struck its jaw, forcing its mouth shut.

Seizing the moment—

Thwack!

“Nice!”

Pippi 1’s sword pierced the reverse scale.

Not satisfied, Pippi 1 drove it deeper.

With that final blow, the light faded from the drake’s left eye.

THUD!

The drake’s massive body collapsed.

[Mine’s fourth boss, ‘Mine Drake,’ defeated.]

[Access to the fifth zone granted.]

[Mine’s time restriction lifted.]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

The system confirmed the boss’s death.

Relief washed over me, and I raised my crossbow arm triumphantly.

“We won!”

The drake was down.

Zone 4 was fully conquered.

My assistants, mimicking me, raised their weapons.

Like a victory salute.

After savoring the win, as the assistants harvested the drake’s materials, I checked the system messages.

“A fifth zone?”

Ores, fibers, wood, leather.

I thought that covered all materials, but a fifth zone appeared.

What materials were left?

Bones?

But bones overlap with ores.

I’d find out by checking.

“The time restriction’s gone!”

The mine’s annoying time limit was lifted.

Now I could stay 24 hours.

Well, my assistants would do the work.

Full 24-hour labor was possible.

“Work hard, team!”

I felt bad, but it was perfect for me.

Soon after—

[Mine Drake’s Scales]

[Mine Drake’s Fang]

Materials from the drake.

That wasn’t all.

Digging the boss room’s walls—

[Ancient Dragon’s Bone]

“Whoa!”

Another rare material.

This outshone all prior finds.

A true dragon’s bone, not from a drake or wyvern.

This could make top-tier gear.

Harvest complete.

I stored the dragon bone carefully in my subspace bag.

With no time limit, I decided to check the next zone.

“What’s next?”

Even I couldn’t guess.

The end of Zone 4.

I stepped toward a menacing door.

Unsure what awaited, I sent the shield team ahead.

In Zone 5—

“What’s this?”

A mine unlike Zones 1–4 unfolded before us.